As I’ve mentioned on the blog and in my newsletter, this past July (2024), my husband and I decided to sell our lake cabin back in Cumberland, Wisconsin. It was a great experience overall, but as always, I learned some things by having the opportunity to be in the sellers position. Checkout below where I share my top three learnings that will support you if you’re planning to sell your home in the near future.

Come up with your firm bottom line. Before meeting with your real estate agent, I think it is important to come up with a realistic bottom line price you’d like to sell your home at. To come up with this number, remember to take into consideration the amount you may still owe on your mortgage, along with any closing costs you’ll incur on selling (think title, escrow, and commission fees). This is important to come up with first for two primary reasons, 1. if your experienced real estate agent tells you a recommended list price that is much less than you were anticipating, you may want to discuss if there’s an opportunity to increase the sales price by possibly investing into the home, or if renting makes more sense at this time. 2. If the price the realtor shares is much higher than you thought, it is important to keep this bottom line in mind if you’re getting offers below listing, but above your final number. I recall our agent telling us to list our cabin for a lot more than I originally anticipated (much above our bottom line), and then when offers came in below the list price, although they were less than I anticipated, it was still above my bottom line, which in the end - the first offer is almost 99% of the time, the best offer.
Meet with your agent as far in advance as you can. It is never too early to begin preparing for listing your home. What this looks like is partnering with a great real estate agent (connect with me here), and scheduling a time for them to come out to your property. The primary goals of this first meeting is to discuss 1. the overall process to list and sell your home so you feel comfortable with what’s to come, 2. the proposed listing price (value of your home), and 3. advice on how to maximize your return on the sale. For example, painting the interior or exterior, removing clutter, upgrading landscaping, etc. Some times a little effort upfront, can make all the difference in how quickly your home sells and for how much. In our case, we were using our lake cabin as an Airbnb, so it was in great shape in prep for selling, and our agent still had recommendations to create more value with minimal upfront resources. When you begin this process with time to spare, you have the opportunity to take your time making any necessary improvements, which eliminates the stress factor.
Remember above all to trust your own instincts. It is important to choose a real estate agent who knows the market, and understands the process to effectively sell your home at the best price possible, within the quickest amount of time. That being said, you are the only one that knows what is best for you. It is crucial that you listen to your gut instincts if anything feels off at any time. I always offer my client my professional recommendation, and then state, but it is ultimately your decision, and I will support whatever feels best for you.

If you’re thinking of selling your home, and you’re looking for more tips and tricks to make the process successful and fun, I’d love to help you out on your journey. Connect with me here to setup a no pressure consultation, where we walk through what your goals are, and I provide a recommended path to get you there.

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